Progressive Pioneer

Book Review: World of Design

Hooray, back into book reviews!  I've missed them.  This book, The World of Design, came in the mail awhile ago and I meant to share it with you, but well, I was having a baby and whatnot, so it sort of got lost in the shuffle.  But I love the concept.  It's the first in a series of books (ten in all) aimed at kids, that teaches them about, well, the world of design.  This first book is an overview, but then subsequent books will focus on architecture, graphic design, fashion design, environmental design etc.  I thought it would make a great resource, especially for home school, for two reasons.  First, if your kid is interested in art, here is a thorough and engaging presentation of all sorts of different things you could potentially do with art.  And second, I think it's so important to recognize the power of design in shaping our thinking.  Presidential posters, product design, the way a store is laid out- it's all design and it's important not to just absorb it passively without thinking about how and why it's designed the way it is and what sort of reaction the designer was hoping to elicit. When it came in the mail my little sister-in-law, who's eleven, was here visiting and she was the first to take a good look.  She loved it; it was accessible and engaging from the first page and made design principles such as color theory and use of negative and positive space really easy to understand.  I even learned a few new things!  And there are fun little pockets and things you can pull out.  There was supposed to be a plastic thing to look through for an experiment with the color spectrum using a flashlight, but mine was missing.  I was kind of bummed; I wanted to try the experiment!  But, overall it was a really neat overview and seems like it would make a great first introduction to design for kids with such an inclination.

Shhh!

In my ongoing quest to find ways for Sam to be quiet in church, I hit upon an activity that gives us at least 20 minutes of sitting still and quiet.  With an old shoelace and a handful of chunky beads Sam was his most reverent yet!

I used a little glue to make the stiff ends of the shoelace a bit longer, and therefore easier to poke through the beads.  And we got some big glass beads with large holes and used an old play dough container to store them in.  He was hooked from the get go. 

I absolutely love seeing him concentrate like this, watching the wheels turn, seeing him try one way and then another until he figures something out.  And watching those tiny fingers at work just squeezes my heart.  What a big world it is that these little guys have to navigate!  It must be nice to have an activity like this that causes them to be so focused and still.

This is the first string of beads he made; I love his colors.  It reminds me of the ocean, which I miss dearly.  I wonder if he remembers that he was born so close to the sea?

I'm Really Doing It!

I can't believe how excited I am about this bubbly goo on my counter.  I'm in awe that I made this, or at least created the right environment for it to grow.  I feel like some sort of mad scientist.  Somehow it's just the most exciting thing to be nurturing a colony of little friendly yeasts and bacteria.  I love how each time it's ready for its feeding (just like a real pet!) it's doubled in size and is riddled with bubbles. 

I tried making my own starter once before and I'm not sure what went wrong, but it just never took off and then I got discouraged and tossed it.  Somehow I thought it was this long, laborious process.  But this is seriously the easiest thing.  I even feel a little sheepish for my prior hesitancy.  You just do the same thing twice a day (take out half the starter and then feed it water and flour) for a few weeks until it gets nice and strong.

Being able to watch someone go through the process and explain it in detail was just the perfect thing for me though.  The previous time I read the instructions in a book.  And there's just nothing like learning from someone as they do something.  Granted, the perfect situation would be if they were right there in your kitchen, but watching a short video really is the next best thing.  I wasn't sure I would like learning in that format, but I think it really suits me.  Now I can hardly wait for it to mature enough that I can try it out on some pancakes!

Felt Toys

I've had this cozy basket of roving sitting in my craft room, patiently waiting to be turned into something for quite some time now.  I'd been curious to try the felt ball in nylon stockings thing that I've seen floating around the web.  So, last week Sam and I gave it a try.

Sam is 100% on board with anything involving water.  I recently moved this bench into the kitchen and it has turned into Sam's "work station."  He cooks there, with dry beans, wooden spoons and silver bowls, while I'm making dinner.  He gives his plastic animals baths in the same silver bowls and uses the bench as a work space for building clay creations.  It's wonderful because I spend so much time in the kitchen and he can be right there alongside me.  So, the bench was the perfect place to set up our felting station.

There are a few steps not pictured here.  What we did first was cut up some strips of felted sweater scraps from my stash and wrap them around a jingle bell in a rough ball shape.  Then we wrapped the fluffy roving around that base.  We built up a nice round ball shape and then stuffed it into an old nylon and knotted it.  We make a whole row of these, like little round, felt sausages, and then tossed it into the washer on a hot cycle with a little dish soap.

When they came out we did some refining in hot, soapy water with our hands and then rinsed them in cool water.  We left them to dry for a day or two and now we have a whole pile of felted, jingling balls for Vivian to play with when she gets a little bigger.  Ideally I would have found some sort of tiny, plastic thing to put the bells in so they jingled louder, but I got tired of waiting for myself to remember to do that, so we just went ahead and made them.  In some of them the sound is kind of muted, but that's okay.  They still look great and will still be a ball to play with:)

Giveaway: Plan to Eat

This weekend's giveaway is good news for you and for me!  Plan to Eat is giving away THREE one-year memberships.  Of course, should you win I will expect you to link to me so I can steal all your delicious recipes! I've slowly been adding recipes to my account so I can be a little more organized in my meal planning.  One thing I'm looking forward to is being strategic about planning several meals around similar ingredients so I can pare down my shopping list.  Have I mentioned that the site will create a shopping list for you based on the meals you pick for the week?

You can get an extra entry by signing up for their free 30-day trial (which could earn you a free year!).  So, if you do, link up with me (progressivepioneer) and we can swap recipes!

Plan to Eat is a simple meal planning tool that allows you to save the personal menu, that's already in your head and scattered across recipe books and the web, so that you can quickly access it all in one place. Then you can easily select your favorite recipes from your menu (just like at a restaurant) to plan your meals for the night, week or month. Then print out the automatically created shopping list, and you're ready to shop with confidence that you have a plan that includes eating great food at home without wasting time or money in the process. 

And for the tech-savvy you can access your shopping list and recipes on your phone. Check off items on your list at the store and they'll automatically move to your inventory list on the main site.  Clever!

To be entered to win, leave a comment.  You can gain SEVEN additional entries in the following ways, but remember to leave an ADDITIONAL COMMENT FOR EACH ENTRY.  1) add PP to your blog roll (1st timers only) 2) become a fan on facebook (1st timers only) 3) become a friend (1st timers) 4) add a button (1st timers) 5) mention the giveaway on your blog, or 6) on facebook.  7) Sign up for the free 30 days and link up! Good luck!

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Congratulations to our three winners:

Amy, who said, "I say every week that I need to make a meal plan. This would be perfect!"

AmandaK, who said, "Would be so so cool!"

almamater, who said, "Yes! Trying to set up a thirty day meal rotation right now and this wood be a perfect way to manage it all--especially the shopping list."

The Friday Make and Do

I just stumbled across this book and am in love with the idea of growing a garden specifically to make plant dyes!  Of course, we're not exactly in the right season for planting, but we're almost to the planning season (one of my favorite midwinter activities!) and perhaps there are a few bulbs that would need to be planted now?

Try making your own pattern.  It was so satisfying, and surprisingly easy, to make the pattern for Viv's dress.  It was so much easier than I thought to simply use something that fit her perfectly and design a pattern from it.  It makes so much sense, I'm not sure why I haven't been doing kid's clothes that way all along...  Scroll down bit a here for a more in depth description about how to make a pants pattern. Make a big batch of homemade cough syrup to get ready for cold season.  I'd really like to stockpile a bunch of this to have on hand when various germs start making the rounds. 
Have a wonderful and cozy weekend!

Read Any Good Books Lately?

Somehow I got out of the habit of posting weekly book reviews, though we haven't stopped reading!  Maybe it was the summer and I got caught up in other things...  But, I'm in the mood to get back into it, of course, I now I have a huge list of possible books to share!  Here's what's marched across my bedside table these last few months:

Cure Tooth Decay (This is what first got me interested in the real foods movement.  Clay had a toothache and we tried some of these methods and it actually worked.)

Real Food (Naturally, this was the next book I read, a nice, easy to digest summary of a lot of other books mostly.  Next I bought Nourishing Traditions and made quite a few recipes, but I haven't read it cover to cover yet.)

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and Spiritual Midwifery (Both of these were so inspiring leading up to Vivian's birth.)

Mockingjay (I need a little brain candy every now and again!)

Last Child in the Woods

The Well-Trained Mind (Quite a change from the unschooling books I was reading awhile ago.  There are so many ideas out there, I imagine we'll try and take the best of a few different methodologies when we do our own home schooling.  Luckily I've got a bit more time to study up on it!)

Lose Your Mummy Tummy (I wish all I had to do was read the book to get rid of the pooch!)

Technopoly (Only a few more pages left in this one and I'm loving it!  Planning on picking up a few more of his books, maybe The Disappearance of Childhood next, anyone read it?)

And a few favorite kids' books we've read lately:

Miss Rumphius (This was one of my favorites when I was a kid and I've been so glad to share it with Sam.)

Here's A Little Poem (Sam has always had a thing for poetry and this one has been a favorite lately.)

Annie and the Wild Animals (This one is an old favorite, but it's been making its way onto the bedtime reading list with great frequency again.)

The Tomten (This is a new one, though we've been fans of tomten around here for ages.  As the weather has been cooling I'm already thinking ahead to the holidays and looking forward to making a few more felt tomten for our collection.)

I'd be happy to share more comprehensive thoughts about any of these books if you're interested.  But tell me, what have you been reading?  Anything good I should pick up?  I'm always looking for a good book recommendation.  And now that I've got this little frequent nurser, that means many hours spent captive in the nursing chair.  And that, of course, translates into lots more reading time! 

Vivian's Blessing Gown

Before Vivian was even born I had plans to make her a special dress for the day she received her baby blessing at church.  I got a pattern and laboriously cut out all the little pieces.  I normally sew the same way I cook; I take a little inspiration from a pattern or recipe, but mostly make it up as I go along.  But with this dress I wanted it to be just right so I was determined to be very careful and deliberate about each step along the way.  However, when it came to the actual sewing I only got about two steps into the directions when it became very clear that something was wrong- the bodice looked closer to my size than a newborn's.  Okay, truth be told I did do a little bit of winging it; I skipped the whole interfacing bit.  Turns out that was sort of important...

So, rather than tear all my hair out trying to follow the cryptic instructions and piece together the million bitty pieces, I just made up my own pattern (there was a wee bit of hair pulling as I tried to tape back together one of the pattern pieces that Sam decided to modify with some scissors, but it all worked out in the end).  It felt good to be doing it my way; it went faster and was a much more pleasant experience, even if it wasn't "perfect."  About a year ago I was all geared up to take a sewing class and then it just didn't happen.  Maybe this fall or winter I finally will.  

You can't really tell from the outside, but the inside is a dead giveaway that someone who really has no idea what they're doing made it.  But I just figure those are the marks of love.  Hopefully Vivian will look at it some day and realize that my desire to make something special for her was greater than my skill, but I just went for it anyway.

There is something so sweet and pure about a little girl.  I loved seeing her in this pretty, sweet and simple dress.  I didn't want anything too frilly or over-the-top, but rather something that let her own sweetness shine through.

In my characteristic, labor-saving way, I used some vintage linens that were already trimmed with that crocheted edge.  Then I just incorporated it into the pattern and cut the pieces accordingly.  Much easier than sewing the trim on myself, or heavens, crocheting it myself!

The lace on the bonnet and neckline was purchased, but I thought it fit in well enough with the rest.

The blessing is a really neat time because generally the baby's father gives it.  He holds the baby while standing in a circle of brothers, fathers, uncles, friends etc.  There's something special about the baby blessing being a gift that the father can give when so much of a newborn's life is focused on the mother and vice versa.  It's also wonderful to see the combination of strength and tenderness that is a circle of men blessing a tiny baby.  Vivian was a peach and fell asleep just before it was time to bless her and stayed angelically (and reverently) asleep throughout the affair.  I'll write about it in her baby book for her to read when she's a little older.

Taking the Sourdough Plunge

Along with wanting to feed my family something more than soup, I've been wanting to try sourdough bread.  I did manage to get back into the habit of weekly bread making and have been making my standard whole wheat recipe, which we love.  But, I'm intrigued by sourdough and have been meaning to try it for quite some time.  I know that yeast isn't that great for you, but fermented things are supposed to be good for you, so I'm guessing sourdough is better for you, right?  Clearly, I haven't done a lot of research on the subject yet, but I'm taking an e-course that will hopefully fill in the gaps.  Ideally, I'd love to learn all about sourdough at the elbow of some grandma who's been making it her whole life.  I learn best when I learn from another person.  But, I'm hoping this course will be second best to the bread-making grandma.  They have videos along with written information and a forum where you ask questions.

The course started in July and I think it's about 25 weeks long, but you can start at any time, they just add a new lesson each week and you can access the material whenever you want. 

I'm excited to try things beyond bread, things I'm pretty sure I'd never be brave enough try just straight out a recipe book.  You start out with an intro to sourdough, instructions on making a starter, then maintaining said starter, then it gets into the fun recipes; tortillas, English muffins, crepes, crackers, gingerbread, pizza, even chocolate cake!  I'll keep you posted about my sourdough adventures and let you know how I fare.  If you want to join me, the course is "pay what you can," so it's affordable for everyone.  Wish me luck!

This post is sponsored by GNOWFGLINS eCourse, where you can learn the art of mastering traditional cooking methods and sourdough! Check out the Sourdough eCourse and join me on the journey; I'll race you to the chocolate cake!

Feeding the Masses

There are only four of us in the family, and only three that eat solid food, so you would think getting a healthy dinner on the table on a regular basis wouldn't be so much of a challenge.  You would think...  But ever since Vivian's birth my plan of attack has been to make an enormous vat of soup and have us eat that until it runs out or we get sick of it.  I haven't been quite able to get my act together enough to have a coherent meal prepared each night yet. 

I decided to try out one of my newer sponsors, Plan to Eat.  I love anything that involves lists and planning.  I love organizing, even if I'm not always all that organized.  This site gives you your own account where you can import recipes from a bazillion recipe sites as well as add your own.  One thing I love is that you can import and then adapt the recipe to your own style.  So, I might find some delicious plum crisp recipe, but want to make it with whole wheat flour and honey, instead of white flour and sugar (true story, and it was SO good).  So, I just change the recipe in my account and then, the really fun part, you can pick from your stash of recipes and create a meal plan for a week or month or however long and it will create a shopping list for you!!

I have yet to discover all the tricks it can do, but so far, I'm liking it.  Oh, and another great feature is that you can link up with people you know (or whose cooking sounds yummy) and swipe some of their recipes!  My name on the site is progressivepioneer, if you want to find my recipes (I'm still in the process of adding them).  And please link up to me!  I'd love some more delicious and healthy recipes!  And I think my family would love something besides soup for dinner...

Making Summer Weight Swaddling Blankets

I meant to tell you about these blankets quite awhile ago, but then Vivian arrived and oh, you know that goes...  But before she was born, when I was in my productive nesting phase (I sure do miss that energy!) I bought a bunch of this wonderful cotton gauze to make my July baby some lightweight swaddling blankets.  They're kind of like those aden + anais blankets everyone's getting.  I suppose it's a bit late in the season for this project, but certainly something you could tuck in the back of your hat for next season.  Though I'm still getting plenty of use out of ours.  I really love them so much more than bulkier baby blankets.  And you could definitely do the same thing with flannel for a lightweight, but cozy fall/winter swaddling blanket.

I had the pieces cut to just over a yard, so I didn't have to do any cutting at home.  This is pretty much the simplest project ever.  All I did was double hem the edges and then stack them neatly to wait for baby.  I gave a few away as gifts and Sam claimed the stripey one above as his own special blanket.  Though he's very generous in sharing it with Vivian and often drapes it over her in her bouncy seat (as you can see in the yawning picture below).

We've been using them everywhere and for everything; swaddling at night, a light cover during the day, an impromptu changing pad etc.  Above is Vivian's quilt I made her, which we took on a family picnic.  She's just wrapped up in all sorts of handmade, blanket-y love!

Hope you all have a lovely weekend; I'll get back on those Make and Do posts next week, I promise!

Sprouting How-To

This is such a fantastic post by Kim who has a great blog with all sorts of clever ideas about food.  We do some sprouting here and there, along with the wheat grass, but this post has gotten me excited to expand beyond our normal comfort zone and try some new types.  I'm envisioning a whole mini-forest of sprouting things on the counter this fall and winter...

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I don’t remember how young I was when I started sprouting but when I moved out of my parents’ house, the sprouting trays came with me.  My earliest memory is interviewing my elementary school principal for the school newspaper (was I 8? 9?) and on his desk was a mason jar full of alfalfa sprouts.  I remember being so fascinated that he was growing food in his office.  The nice thing about sprouts is that you can do it anytime of year, but spring tends to remind me to sprout more often.  Especially when my peas have just sprouted in the garden, I remember to keep on sprouting in the kitchen. Sprouting is extremely easy and anyone can (and should) do it. Store-bought sprouts are expensive and have less nutrients than freshly sprouted seeds from your counter top. Plus you have a variety of sprouts to choose from at home, unlike the salmonella ridden alfalfa and mung in the cooler section.

Sprouting is not rocket science, yet people are always amazed that I have a tray of sprouts at any given time. It is a natural process, the germination of a seed to become a plant. Sprouts, though tiny, are nutritional powerhouses. Different seeds contain different properties but as a whole they provide antioxidants (anti-aging), phytochemicals (disease prevention) and are high in bio-photons (meaning a high energy life force, read anything about raw diets and this can be described further). So, chlorophyll, vitamins, minerals and protein all in an easy to digest crunchy sprout. I can continue describing how healthy they are, but doesn’t the world already know? Let’s discuss how easy it is to make…at home.

For any plant to grow, we need a seed, moisture and eventually sunlight. For sprouting purposes, please buy organic because you don’t want pesticides concentrated in a sprout to enter your body. The best place (and most affordable) to get seeds for sprouting is the bulk section of a grocery store or natural foods market. Then you can buy a tiny bit and see how it goes.  Some bulk areas sell sprouting “mixes” which are a mix of seeds but I think it’s overpriced and the simple fact that not all seeds sprout in the same time period, I would rather buy them and sprout them individually and mix later when they are all at their peak.   Sprouting is not an expensive investment.  I think it’s even one of the most affordable food sources in relation to nutrition.  Most seeds, beans/legumes and grains are sprout-able. Wheat berries sprouted become wheat grass. Lentils tend to be my favorite legume to sprout because they have a mild taste but great crunch. Alfalfa is the most well known sprout and is the most versatile. Radish seeds are nice and spicy and are a favorite of mine as well as fenugreek. I’m not crazy about buckwheat but that’s because I’m too lazy to remove the hull before eating so it’s sort of a rough texture. The list goes on and on…but it’s time to talk about the process.

I have lovely sprouting trays that have indentations on the bottom and all I do is fill the tray and it has it’s own draining system, leaving behind just enough water to keep the seeds moist to sprout. I’ve seen larger versions of mine as well as a whole plethora of other sprouting systems. The easiest method with materials that everyone around the world can access is the old glass jar with cheesecloth tied to the top. Each seed has it’s own ideal soaking time for sprouting but honestly if you don’t soak it long enough there’s a good chance it will still sprout.

The method with the jar is easy: Soak seed in water. I use about a tablespoon of sprouting matter per tray. In a quart mason jar I would also put about a tablespoon, or enough to make a thin layer of seeds along the side. The last thing you want is too many seeds becoming a rotting, stinking mess. Drain off water, rinse and drain well. Place cheesecloth (or linen or whatever) over the top, secure with rubber band and store jar on it’s side (just in case there’s too much water left behind the seeds won’t rot in it). At least twice a day, fill jar with water and drain. You might not even need to take off the cheesecloth, just turn it upside down over the sink to drain. Within a few days to a week (depending on temperature/humidity) you will have lovely sprouts. You can eat them once a little tail has grown or give them more time to develop it’s first leaves; it’s up to you. Before storing, I give them a final rinse (some people like to rinse off the hulls but I’m lazy and don’t mind the extra fiber) and put them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Remember, sprouts don’t have to be boring. Most people thing their only place is on salads but you can throw some on top of a stir-fry before eating, add to sandwiches, even soups. I’ve been throwing mine in my smoothies lately with good results. Here’s a list of sprouts, soak time and my comments for your convenience.

• Alfalfa (neutral flavor, not too crunchy): I honestly don’t soak these but I’ve heard 1-6 hours. They will sprout in a day or two.
• Quinoa (similar in taste/texture to alfalfa, perhaps a bit less crunchy): Soak 2 hours.
• Lentils (my favorite! Nutty, crunchy and a little bit spicy): Soak 8 hours  Red, green, yellow, French.  They are all good.
• Radish seeds (spicy little sprouts): I don’t soak them but you can do 2 hours if it makes you feel better.
• Fenugreek (smells like curry, great crunch, moderate spice): Soak overnight to 12 hours
• Wheat and Spelt Berries (great at any stage, more chewy than crunchy): Soak overnight to 12 hours
• Mung Beans (neutral flavor, great crunch): Soak overnight to 10 hours.  I can’t get mine to look like the store ones, I think you need to keep them out of the light completely.
• Buckwheat (the hull can be papery.  I prefer to soak and dehydrate buckwheat for granola instead of sprouting.  Don’t use Kasha, I think it’s already cooked.  I haven’t tried hulled buckwheat):  Soak 30 minutes.
• Clover (similar to alfalfa, but more “delicate” tasting): I don’t soak but my guide says 6 hours.
• Chia (is a disaster.  It becomes a gelatinous mess like flax does).  I soak chia overnight and throw the whole thing in a smoothie.  I have not experiemented further.  It clogs up my sprouting trays.
• Flax: same as chia, but I don’t sprout it.  I prefer it just ground and added to smoothies or in baking.
• Broccoli Seeds (great for salad, small sprout, neutral taste): Soak overnight
• Chickpeas (are fun to sprout.  Raw hummus!)  Soak 48 hours.
• Peas (fresh and crunchy) Soak overnight to 12 hours.

A Boy and His Bug

Sam is still crazy about bugs.  I love how enthusiastic he is about life in general, but the great outdoors in particular.  I find myself being amazed anew as we look at things like dried rose hips on the neighbor's bushes or the beautiful striations on a grasshopper's legs.

I've been reading Last Child in the Woods , and looking forward to a day when Sam has much more wilderness to roam than the mere 1/10th acre we currently live on.  However, there's also much to be said for finding and celebrating the wildness in your own backyard or neighborhood.  Sam, being as small as he is, doesn't really need all that much of a yard, and given my slacking off in the gardening department, it's plenty wild!

I think more than where you are and how much land you have, the attitude with which you approach nature and exploration are more important in instilling a love of nature in your kids.  We really try and encourage Sam to be hands on, inquisitive and respectful of nature.  He really doesn't need much encouragement though; he's been in love with the outdoors since day one.  What this looks like on a daily basis is picking up dried seed pods at the park, dissecting them and talking about how trees grow, pointing out hovering dragonflies and nesting birds, watching the ants in the sidewalk cracks, digging worms in the front yard, collecting leaves and sticks and reading books (he prefers grown up guide books with real photographs).

We've found that there's plenty of nature here in the city when you look for it, especially when you look with the wide and curious eyes of a two year old, that never miss anything!

Raising an Adventurous Eater

The fall issue of Edible Wasatch is hitting newsstands at this very moment!  I love contributing to this publication; I feel so honored to be a part of something so honest, upbeat and working towards positive changes. Speaking of celebrating all things local, have you heard of BALLE?  Check it out; they're doing good things.

This season a local scherenschnitte artist, Cindy Ferguson, illustrated my article and I really love it (you can click on it to see the whole thing larger).  She has some really beautiful papercuts on her website.  Growing up we had a fairytale book that was all illustrated in this style and I thought it was so magical.

Giveaway: No Plastic!

I know, I know, we just had a No Plastic giveaway last month, but seriously, is it really possible to have too much of a good thing?  I think not.  And I think this time just might be your lucky day... :)

Check out their website for all sorts of stainless steel goodness (including my favorite straws!) 

Just think, if you just bought one reusable glass or stainless steel container a week, in a couple months you could entirely get rid of that frustrating drawer of mismatched plastic containers and random lids!

   

The only trouble I've had with non-plastic containers in the past is leakiness.  However, lucky for you, No Plastic has completely air and water-tight containers!  Hooray, the best of both worlds!

To be entered to win an airtight, watertight, stainless steel food storage container, leave a comment.  You can gain SIX additional entries in the following ways, but remember to leave an ADDITIONAL COMMENT FOR EACH ENTRY.  1) add PP to your blog roll (1st timers only) 2) become a fan on facebook (1st timers only) 3) become a friend (1st timers) 4) add a button (1st timers) 5) mention the giveaway on your blog, or 6) on facebook.  Good luck!

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Congratulations to Kimberly, who said, "And I just became a Facebook fan!"

At Mother's Breast: Amy and Vivian

Remember my friend Katrina's great breastfeeding project?  Well, Viv and I were lucky enough to be included and our pictures went up this week!  Katrina gives everyone who participates a digital copy of one of the images as a thank you gift; if you're a local, nursing mom, give her a call!

I really love how she captured the sweet feeling of nursing Vivian, because I know it doesn't always look like this.  It often looks like rumpled clothes askew, milk on my shirt and whatnot.  But this peaceful, serenity is certainly how it feels.   

I've mentioned before that my mom died of breast cancer when I was seven.  Because she had time to plan, she wrote me a book of some things that she wanted me to know, but wouldn't be able to tell me as I grew older.  This section means more to me than ever, now that I'm a nursing mom myself:

"When I brought you home from the birthing center, all I wanted to do was hold you and gaze into your beautiful face and send you thoughts of love.  Oh, I had never known such love!  And nursing- I loved to nurse you.  It created the bond we share even to this day (the day you're reading this), and I was sad to give it up even after two years."

There certainly is something magical about that bond.

Crazy, but True...

I'm just amazed at how much body awareness tiny babies have.  We started EC with Vivian and it's just so fun!  It's one of those things that you just don't know how fun it is until you actually experience it.  But sitting a teeny, tiny baby on the potty and having them go is so exciting!  Or maybe we're just lacking in excitement around here... :) 

We did ECing or infant pottying with Sam, but didn't start until he was about two or three months old because of all the time he spent in the hospital.  Vivian, on the other hand, started at about two or three weeks!

It seems like such a crazy thing because we don't really see it done in our culture, but for so many other cultures it's completely normal.  I think it can seem a little intimidating too, like it might be too hard to incorporate into your routine, but especially if you're using cloth diapers, it only makes life easier. With Sam I would get a little hung up on how long we could go with a dry diaper and whatnot.  But with Vivian it's really just been about her comfort and doing what's convenient for me.  We've been using Bummis with the old BumGenius inserts or regular prefolds since the waterproofing is worn out on the BGs.  So, I think she feels it more when she's wet and really doesn't like it.  Consequently, she's started holding it and if I give her enough opportunities we can go through several "changes" using the same diaper because she goes on the potty instead of in the diaper.  The other day I took Sam to a friend's house, went grocery shopping, came home, nursed Viv and then put her on the potty, where she went immediately and her diaper was still dry!

I swear, if it seems intimidating, just trust me on this one; it's not.  All you need is one or two of those little potties (we love the Baby Bjorn ).  Keep it where you change your baby.  And then just put them on it whenever it makes sense for you.  For us it's after naps and nursing. 

The other element is making some sort of "cue-ing" noise.  Though I find that after awhile just sitting on the potty is the cue; they know what to do.  The noise comes in handy when you're out hiking or something and what them to go somewhere unfamiliar.  From the first day I would make the sound (I make a ch-ch-ch sound) whenever I was holding her and could tell she went, such that she'd associate the sound with going to the bathroom.  At some point (maybe around two weeks?) I thought, "I wonder if she'd go if I put her on the potty?"  So, I put her on, made the sound, and hooray!  She went!  It really is a fun thing.  And I think babies love it.  They really are born preferring to be dry and simply grow accustomed to being wet and tolerating it.  Potty time is also one of my favorite times because it positions Vivian right in front of me with her face looking up at me.  We talk and smile and have a grand old time, just some of those silly, little things that make mamas grin all over. 

PS Here are a few good resources:

The Diaper-Free Baby

Diaper Free

Tiny training pants (18mo.); it's often hard to find them small enough.  Another great source for all things related to baby pottying is EC Wear.

Good luck!

Llama Trekking

This is a beautiful post from Jessica of Seed Pod Craft (I'm still waiting for a spare moment to make my Sweet Pod!  It's next on my list after Vivian's blessing dress...).  She also shares a sadder part of their trip on her own blog.  That's one of the things about getting out in the thick of nature; it's wild and beautiful, but sometimes the wild parts can be sad as well.  I wrote to Jessica about my own strong memories from childhood, both of watching our mother cat give birth and also of finding a little kitten that had frozen to death.  Those were extremely powerful, formative experiences for me.  I'm reading Last Child in the Woods right now and the author talks a lot about the importance of not experiencing only the sanitized version of nature and animals, but the whole circle, life and death.  It's hard, but important, and beautiful in its own way.

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We left at the crack of dawn with a 6 1/2 hour drive ahead of us.  It was a rather uneventful drive.  We started listening to  the Oliver Twist audio book (we couldn’t survive road trips without audio books, I tell ya) and made several potty stops as we had an unfortunate stomach funk making the rounds through the family.  Poor Logan was throwing up the night before and I was feeling pretty yucky as we drove.  Colorado is a beautiful place though, and as we closed in on the San Juan mountains I couldn’t believe how jagged and beautiful they were.  The towering clouds that formed over the mountains were amazing to me.  I wish I had taken pictures, but I was waiting for my 24 hrs of queasiness to be over.

We camped that night in what Barry read was the most scenic campground in Colorado.  It’s right on Molas Lake right outside of Silverton, CO.  Scenic it was– and cold and rainy.

The next morning we got up early to pack our llama packs.  With all of our stuff laid out on the tarp we could see, and hear, the wall of weather coming toward us.  We hurriedly broke down tents and stowed everything in the van before the torrent began.  We had to postpone our 8 o’clock meeting with the llama guys until the downpour let up.

At about 10 the rain let up to a drizzle.  Barry used their garage to finish packing where it was dry and llama guy Mark showed me the ins and outs of llama saddling.  I loved those llamas.  I’m just an animal lover to the core.  I remember watching my grandpa groom and saddle his horses as a little girl wanting so bad to be a part of the care taking, but too shy or self conscious to ask.  It’s kind of silly, but strapping the saddles on the llamas was like living out that childhood wish.  They were good boys, those llamas.  Turk was the white one, Two Socks the dark one in the middle, and Tecate the big guy in the foreground.

The men hooked the trailer to the van, I put the llamas in the trailer and we were headed to the trail head.

The drizzle stopped when we got there.  It stayed pretty cloudy as we hiked, but not another drop fell!

Llamas can carry up to 80 lbs.  We didn’t have them loaded down that heavy and they were ready to walk as quickly as we’d let them.  Unfortunately I had to be a pack animal too so that Hunter had a way to get up the trail.  Truth be told, I was not nearly as cheerful a packer as the llamas were.  I just couldn’t get comfortable and felt so off balance because with a kid in a hiking pack all of their weight is at the top of the pack so you feel it on your shoulders.  No matter how I adjusted I couldn’t get all the weight down on my hips.  I seriously think I may have been more comfortable with a SweetPod because the baby sits low and most of the weight is on the wearer’s hips.  Anyway, enough of my whining.  It was a beautiful hike, which I can say cheerfully now that I’m looking at the photos and not actually doing it.

It was really steep though.  We gained about 1800 feet of elevation in a little over 2 miles.  Switchback after switchback, one foot in front of the other.

The kids were great.  Brenna tended to hang back with me, but Jonah can just motor on and keep up with whoever there is to keep up with.  The llamas were great too.  They were great followers no matter who was leading.  We let the kids take turns leading all three, we separated them a few times so they could each have one, and Barry led them all on the really steep parts.  They were definitely my favorite part of the hike.

After climbing up and up and up we got to this little basin and set up camp.

It really couldn’t have been more beautiful.  We had a little meadow to stake the llamas out in and big logs to sit on surrounding our camp fire.  Hunter loved just sitting in the dirt and scooping it up into his lap and wrapping little sticks with leaves.

He wrapped this stick in a leaf so intently he didn’t even notice me nearby with the camera.  He’d get the stick covered and say, “Bup.  Bup.” (which is how he says “wrap up”) over and over.  He was incredibly dirty, but incredibly happy the whole time.

If I were to do it again I would definitely invest in some kind of packable toilet.  Digging holes for 5 kids is a lot of work, pretty gross work when you’ve got a stomach thing working its way through the family.  I’d probably just get one of these seat lids that fit on a bucket and several bags.  The bucket could just have stuff packed in it and would fit in a llama pack no problem.  We packed out plenty of poop as it was because our potty learning Ian just could not relax enough to go in a hole.  Both he and Hunter were in disposable Pull-ups or diapers the whole time.

I’d also find a roll up table and pack some food in a cooler.  I had no idea we could bring a cooler if we had wanted to, having been trained well by my parents to pack lightly for backpacking trips.  The luxury of llamas is that you can bring stuff– even real food if you want. So, if you’re ever crazy enough to try this bring milk!  Bring lettuce!  Hey, you could even have ice cream!

I would remember card games.  Doh!

Another thing– I’d check the weather better.  We were in much higher mountains than I had backpacked in when I was a kid living in Idaho.  Idaho is pretty dry and gets warm during the day.  Colorado is cooler and wetter up in the mountains.  We were fine  (you don’t go through too many clothes when you don’t ever take off enough clothes to change your underwear, which was the case with all of the males I did not personally have to diaper and clothe I found out as I went through things to do laundry when we got home.  Gross.), but an extra sweatshirt and maybe even long johns for everyone would have been nice.

So, that’s the first half of our trip.  I honestly didn’t like lugging a baby up a mountain, but it sure felt good to take him off my back in the heart of pristine wilderness, set up camp, watch the llamas chomp to their hearts’ content, and see how happy my children felt about doing something so hard and being somewhere so beautiful.

Bottoms Up!

Even though our garden is still producing plenty of late-season veggies, I'm thinking ahead to our standard fall and winter "wheatgrass ."  When we start feeling that sense of deprivation that comes from consuming only pale and limp grocery store veggies, we break out the trays and the juicer and start our own indoor meadow right there on the counter top.

It really is so very simple.  And in addition to providing healthy juice, it's pleasant to have something vibrant and green to rest your eyes on.  The only catch is that you have to have a juicer ; don't even try it in your regular blender or juicer.  It'll mess it all up.  But they're not too expensive and it's a fun gadget to have around.

Sam loves helping pick the grass and turn the crank.  He can do the whole operation by himself.  The only thing he doesn't do is drink the juice.  He tried it once and that was enough for now:)

If you want to try it yourself all you'll need are some wheat berries, trays and the juicer.  Just put some dirt in the tray, cover the top with wheat berries, water it and let it sit, covered with another tray, until they begin to sprout.  Once they sprout, take off the cover and let the grass grow, keeping it watered.  You'll be surprised how fast it grows; you can practically see the little blades stretching toward the light.

And you'll be able to get more than one harvest out of your tray.  Start at one end and snip off a couple handfuls of grass for each "shot" of juice.  By the time you get to the end of the tray, that first row will have grown tall again and will be ready for round two.  Enjoy!

Homemade Honey Buttermilk Ice Cream

We made this yummy ice cream and then I lost the recipe!  It was somewhere online... but that doesn't help.  Here are a few others that look tasty as well:

We used eggs from our chickens, which are such a deep, rich orange color that the ice cream took on quite a yellow hue.  Looks almost like it should taste lemony! And since we used our homemade buttermilk with lots of good raw enzymes and probiotics, I figure this is practically a health food.  I felt quite virtuous eating my dessert:)

Sam thinks treats taste best licked straight from the mixers!

Only a few more hot, summery days left to indulge in cool icy treats.  My mind is already turning to hot apple pies and pumpkin stews...

September Sponsors

I know I said I wasn't going to do a monthly sponsor post, but I just had to give a little shout out to this month's sponsors. 

Plan to Eat

Hypnobabies

Bird and Little Bird

Aurora Shoe Co.

Modern Organic Fabrics

No plastic

Hazelnut KidsSalt Lake Prenatal Massage

Ivory Bill

I must say, I do have the loveliest sponsors:)

The Joy of Dirt

This is a fun post from Rachel at A Closet of Her Own.  It reminded me of this post I did quite some time ago (I can't believe what a baby Sam is in that picture!).  SimpleMom also did a great post about why you might want to actually let your kids get dirty.  I'm all for it, as you can see in this photo (that's me several decades ago!)

 

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“I want to touch the earth, I want to break it in my hands, I want to grow something wild and unruly,” croon the women of one of my favorite singing groups, The Dixie Chicks.  I hum this song to myself often as I watch my young kids scooping up piles of dark earth, just for the fun of it.

One of my kids’ favorite activities is playing in the dirt.  They love it so much that we have yet to actually landscape the section of our front yard specifically meant for landscaping – that little island of dirt nestled between the driveway, the sidewalk leading to the front door, and the house.  We meant to fill it with bushes and flowers a few years ago, but our little ones just had so much fun playing in it as we landscaped the opposite side of the front yard that we just decided to leave the dirt alone for the rest of that year.  

And then the next.  And then we got an awesome 8x8 feet, one-foot-deep sand-box in the back yard, with the intent of landscaping the remainder of the front yard once the kids had a nice replacement digging area.  But although they do love the sandbox and play in it regularly, they still love to play in the front dirt-area even more.  And so it remains. 

Some days they haul the trucks out from the sandbox and do all sorts of construction projects and road building in the dirt.  Other days, they mess around with the small pile of leftover bricks, stacking them or arranging them.  Other times they pretend to plant gardens or put in landscaping. 

But most days, they just prefer to dig in the dirt.  We used to have a few kid-sized metal garden-shovels but only one is still in working order, so my two kids take turns with that and alternatively a snow shovel, which they like for smoothing out the dirt.  They also have some smaller shovels and tools for digging, too.  They simply love making – and then moving – piles of dirt.  And sometimes they just prefer to take turns diving into the dirt – full body flops designed to make mom exclaim “You are filthy from head to toe!”

For whatever reason, they love to connect with the dirt.  I think that a large part of it is the chance to use their muscles.  It is nice, hard work to dig down and scoop up and move around that dirt.  I’ve noticed that in the winter months when we are more cooped up indoors, they love to simply move around furniture or toys.  Just continuously move it around – they seem to need to keep their muscles in motion. 

I also think that it feels genuine to them.  They see their parents and other adults working in the yard, in the garden, in the dirt.  When they dig in the dirt, they are participating in those activities, too. 

And I think they just plain also like the feel of dirt.  They like to break it in their hands and feel the wild and unruly energy of the earth course into them.  And so, I share their love of dirt with all of you, in the hopes that you will be inspired to help your own little ones find a plot of dirt (either at home or somewhere else) that they can dig their hands into.  It’s so much fun!